


7/01/2019: Helpless

by pop_incognito



Series: 365 Drabbles [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: High Speed Era, Injury Recovery, M/M, Short & Sweet, cute boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 03:24:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17337686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pop_incognito/pseuds/pop_incognito
Summary: Nao isn't helpless, he's just... temporarily out of service.





	7/01/2019: Helpless

**Author's Note:**

> Short and sweet because I am on holiday and don't have much time to write!

“Natsuya, stop it,” Nao admonishes quietly, one hand braced on the wall and the other carefully brushing Natsuya’s arm from where it seems to have been permanently attached ever since Nao had been discharged from the hospital. “I can walk on my own,” he continues, somewhat sullenly, squinting at the path ahead with his good eye, the other still blinded by soft gauze. He gets to take the wrappings off in a week, but the doctors told him that it could take several more weeks for his vision to straighten out again. He might even need glasses, which Nao isn’t particularly looking forward to.

Huffing, Natsuya crosses his arms and pouts at Nao. “You’re the one who spent the entire train ride here complaining about your depth perception being fucked up!” he protests, and then he stares pointedly to where Nao is still touching the wall to keep himself from swaying sideways slightly. “Yeah, you can walk. You just can’t walk in a straight line at the moment.” A slow smile spreads over his face, and he offers his hand to his boyfriend again. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, Nao.”

Nao frowns, lets his hair swing over his face for a few moments. He has always been so independent – looking after other people before looking after himself, building his strength up with his martial arts and then honing that with his swimming. Having all of that taken away however briefly by something as superficial as just one of his eyes being put out of commission has been a very tough pill to swallow. Nao does not appreciate everyone suddenly treating him like an absolute invalid. “I’m not helpless,” he mutters, wraps his arm around his waist and won’t look at Natsuya.

“I know that,” Natsuya says, cards his fingers through Nao’s hair to push it off his face. “I know that you’re a can of whoop-ass who could curb stomp me without a second thought. I know that once you get back in the pool, you’ll go right back to the top of the podium again.” He draws in close and kisses Nao’s cheek. “You’re not helpless, Nao, you just need a little help right now. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Sighing, Nao snatches up Natsuya’s hand and wraps it back around his waist. “Fine,” he admits, and tries in vain to hide the blush staining his cheeks. “Could you… help me up the stairs to your room?” he asks, very quietly. “Stairs make my head swim right now,” Nao admits. “I nearly fell down our front stairs yesterday, and there’s only three of them.”

“Course I can,” Natsuya replies, adjusting his grip and pulling Nao away from the wall. “Come on, I’ll carry you if that makes it easier.”

Nao immediately regrets his decision to ask for help, and he flicks Natsuya’s ear. “Shut up,” he grumbles, and then he darts in to press a quick kiss to Natsuya’s cheek. “But thank you, for not laughing at me.”

“Why would I laugh at you?” Natsuya asks curiously, starting to help Nao up the stairs, keeping a firm hold on Nao’s hip when he lists sideways occasionally, head dipping strangely in the direction of his injured eye. “You’re just temporarily out of service – what is there to laugh at?”

“For being weak,” Nao says. He points at the gauze taped to his face. “I hate this thing, I want to rip it off.”

Natsuya leans his forehead against Nao’s temple, finally reaching the top step. “Maybe don’t do that,” he suggests, tone light. “Badass scars aren’t particularly badass if there’s still blue stiches and iodine in them, are they?”

“There aren’t any scars or stitches, you twit,” Nao laughs, the tension in his chest finally dissipating as they enter Natsuya’s room and lie down on the bed side-by-side, rolling to face each other, hands linked lightly over the blankets. “What the hell sort of surgery do you think I had?”

Shrugging, Natsuya squeezes Nao’s hand. “No idea,” he admits. “All I know is that it took you away from me for a few weeks, and now I have to wait for months until we can swim together again!”

Nao curls forward to tuck his head under Natsuya’s chin. “That’s true, but there are other things we can do in the meantime.” And he flushes pink again at the accidentally innuendo in his voice. Natsuya’s skin heats up underneath his cheek too, and Nao bites his lip. “Don’t forget we’ve still got four rowdy first years to keep together.”

“What are we, their parents?” Natsuya groans.

“Well, someone has to help the poor clueless idiots.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment, or come talk to me on tumblr @ pop-incognito!


End file.
